Monday, November 9, 2009

New Books I've Read

I started listening to the audio of Andromeda Klein by Frank Portman. His first book is King Dork, which got some really good reviews. Andromeda is a less-than-perfect teen girl with bad hearing, bad hair, bad skin, and no body to speak of. Andromeda is a serious scholar of the occult. No New Age or "wicker" for her. There's lots of references to the Tarot, the Order of the Golden Dawn, and Aleister Crowley. The kind of stuff that drives well-meaning adults crazy. But Andromeda is no dilettante. She hopes to write her own multi-volume opus on magic and the occult. But first she has to deal with the death of her friend Daisy,the disappearance of her boyfriend, St. Steve, her crazy parents, her nonexistent popularity at school, and the evil plan of the Friends of the Library to weed the collection of her branch which includes an awful lot of the books Andromeda needs for her studies. It's just amazing how the author captured the essential high school girl experience. Portman is also a musician, so you can catch his work at http://www.frankportman.com/, http://www.doktorfrank.com/

Goth Girl Rising is the sequel to The Astonishing Adventures of Goth Girl and Fanboy by Barry Lyga. Kyra, aka Goth Girl, is released from the local psychiatric facility for trying to commit suicide. She's seething with anger, at her father, at school, and especially at Fanboy, who's gone on to become, if not the most popular kid, at least more respected. His graphic novel is released in installments in the school newspaper. Revenge is what Goth Girl wants. As she begins her plan to get back at Fanboy, however, she realizes that she doesn't hate him. She might just -- like him a little? Kyra jumps off the page like she's right there in front of you as you're reading. Reading this book was like holding a live wire. Check out the author at www.barrylyga.com